Lita is very greedy. She will not share her mangoes with others. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• Possession

  nia / nian — possession

  nia

  'nia' goes BEFORE the thing possessed; 'nian' goes AFTER. Both function the same way; position decides which form. 'nia' is also the 3rd-person pronoun (he / she / it) — disambiguate by position.

• Aspect markers

  sei — 'will' or 'still'

  sei

  Tetun has no verb conjugation. Aspect and tense are marked by particles. 'sei' sits immediately before the verb — marking a definite future ('will') or a continuative ('still'). Combine with 'hela' after the verb for ongoing action. Negation is 'sei la' = 'will not'.

• Intensifiers

  Intensifiers (loos, tebes, demais, laduun)

  loos

  Position matters. 'loos' / 'tebes' / 'demais' follow the adjective ('barak loos' = very many). 'laduun' PRECEDES the adjective ('laduun diak' = not very good). 'liu tan' = even more.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• Labarik ida tanis hakilar maka'as loos tanba nia mamá baku.A child cried very loudly because her mother hit her.
• Nia namoradu ne'e hais nia to'o lima sén mós la iha nia isin!Her boyfriend bled her dry till she didn't even have five cents left on her!
• Tia sikat ulsuku iha fuuk.Auntie stuck her hairpin through her hair.
• Sira konta sai Joana nia segredu ba ema seluk para halo moe nia.They revealed Joana’s secret to others to shame her.
• Maria sateia hela de'it nia amá tanba osan.Maria keeps hassling her mother (to give her) money.
• Labarik ne'e fó ulun eskola, di'ak liu ita suporta nia.This kid really works at her schooling, we should support her.